Another school warns of creepy clown copycats in Colorado

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It’s spreading.

Another local school district in Colorado is raising the alarm about clown threats, this time in Fort Collins.

Once the so-called creepy-clown phenomenon slithers into the borders of a state, it’s like a cold germ, unstoppable to contain.

In recent days, we’ve reported on alleged threats made by students in Weld County with references to violence by people dressed as clowns. A “clown threat” made the front page of yesterday’s Greeley Tribune. Is this serious? Local officials say there haven’t been credible threats in Colorado, but they’re taking them seriously.

The trend is the kind of weird news made to go viral.

A recent Fox News headline read, “’Killer clown’ sightings spread to Florida, Virginia, Colorado.”

From that piece:

Residents and authorities in Palm Bay, Fla., have been on high alert since a resident reported seeing two “creepy clowns” staring at her from across a road as she walked her dog. And in Marion County, Fla., deputies are concerned after it emerged that a Facebook viral video, depicting a clown standing silently on the side of the road in the dark, had been filmed along a main thoroughfare in the area.

Here’s what that kind of thing looks like:

Today, the Poudre School District in northern Colorado sent a message to the community.

“Recently, threats to schools involving clowns have been circulating on social media around the country. PSD is aware of this national trend,” reads a release from Danielle Clark, the communications director of the district in Fort Collins. “Last night, activity on social media mentioned a threat against Poudre High School. PHS administration has been working with the Fort Collins Police Department to investigate this situation.”

Citing local law enforcement, Clark says there is no credible threat to the school.

That said, the school has increased its security personnel for the day.

 

Photo by FFCU for Creative Commons on Flickr.

The Colorado Independent is a statewide online news source operating in a time when spin is plentiful, but factual, fair and unflinching news in the public interest is all too rare. Our award-winning team of veteran investigative and explanatory reporters and news columnists aims to amplify the voices of Coloradans whose stories are unheard, shine light on the relationships between people, power and policy, and hold public officials to account. We strive to report the news with context, social conscience, and soul, and to give Coloradans the insight they need to promote conversation, understanding and progress in this square, swing state we call home.

1 COMMENT

  1. I bet that was Mike Pense on the campaign trail…if you noticed, you never see Mike and the creepy clown in the same room,at the same time, do ya now…???????????

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